Xiao Jingcheng said calmly, "I promised before that after you helped me exchange the silver notes, I'd give you a 10% cut of the profit. Now that I've destroyed your gambling house, I can raise it to 30%."
Thirty percent?!
That would be 1,500 taels of silver!
Zhao Hu immediately perked up.
"Also, I'll come up with another way to make money, one that will surely earn you more than running the gambling house. I can also guarantee to get rid of员外 Chen and help you take his place as员外 Zhao. Of course, if you're not willing..."
Zhao Hu could hardly hide his excitement. "I'm willing! I'm willing!"
"I didn't know you had other plans, boss. You should've said so earlier! I thought you had some issues with me and didn't want me to stay in Dongli Town anymore.
Don't worry. Since I call you boss, I'll follow you forever!"
Xiao Jingcheng had heard such flattering words of loyalty so many times in the Eastern Palace that his ears were almost calloused. However, after being betrayed in Ningzhou and learning that Bu Hua had long harbored ill intentions, he wouldn't believe that Zhao Hu was truly loyal.
It could be said that, apart from the dogs in Dongli Town, he didn't trust anyone anymore.
He and Zhao Hu were just using each other.
"The gambling house burned down last night. There will surely be soldiers coming to inquire today. I don't need to tell you what to say to them," Xiao Jingcheng said coldly.
"Also, take good care of my dogs. Prepare good food for them and make sure they're well-fed. If any of your men hurt a single hair on them, you know the consequences."
Xiao Jingcheng walked into the room, closed the door, and took a rest.
Sang Biao and Juan Mao squatted outside his door, glaring menacingly at Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly went down to instruct the kitchen to prepare food for the dogs brought by Xiao Jingcheng.
The canopy bed in Zhao Hu's wing was made of pear blossom wood. Its elegant and delicate design showed that it cost quite a bit of money.
The curtains and bedding on the bed were new and scented with fragrant pills. Lying on it was soft and comfortable, and one could smell a faint fragrance. It was much better than the bed in Huichun Hall.
However, lying on it, Xiao Jingcheng didn't feel comfortable at all. He even thought the bed was too soft, the bedding smelled too fragrant, and the furnishings in the room were too luxurious.
He actually missed the simple wooden bed in Huichun Hall that creaked when he lay on it and the house that emitted a slight musty smell.
They say it's easy to go from frugality to luxury but hard to go from luxury to frugality.
Now, for him, it was hard to go from frugality to luxury.
Xiao Jingcheng let out a bitter laugh. In his mind, Ye Wanmian's deafening words involuntarily rang out.
Exploiting people to the bone, exploiting people to the bone...
In this world, anyone who had money would try their best to use it to decorate their lives and live a luxurious life.
Even the lowest-ranking official families in the capital used high-quality boxwood to make all their utensils. Not to mention the princes, generals, or the imperial palace.
Even he himself had once gone to great lengths for a bowl to eat from.
At that time, he had no money on him and had to rely on Ye Wanmian to achieve his goal. As a result, he had even incurred a debt of 3,000 taels.
What Li Zhao said last night was surely a wake-up call for him.
Taking out the map from his bosom, Xiao Jingcheng unfolded it and his gaze moved back and forth on the patterns.
Ye Wanmian had put a lot of effort into drawing this map. It clearly marked how the streets in Dongli Town were arranged, where the entrances were, and which areas were close to the river.
However, this map wasn't finished. The second half was only a rough outline, while the first half was more detailed. It was obvious that if she hadn't seen him whispering with Zhao Hu and others in the gambling house, this map would have been more complete.
The ink smell on the map was a bit pungent. It probably wasn't good ink, but the paper was stained with her faint fragrance, as if...
She was right in front of him.
And his eyes gradually became clearer from the previous confusion.
Money was indeed very important. Most people in this world were struggling for it.
Although Ye Wanmian had once been a noble lady, after she was reduced to living among the common people, her life had taken a nosedive. She knew how hard it was to make money. So when treating others, she came up with the idea of asking for half of the consultation fee first and the rest after the patient was cured.
Even when providing free medical consultations for the villagers in the town, if they needed to buy medicinal materials, she only charged half of the consultation fee.
Thinking carefully, he was indeed not as good as her.
Making money was not easy. As the crown prince, if he still wanted to ascend the throne and rule the world, he should ensure that his people could keep the money in their hands.
Xiao Jingcheng seemed to have gained some insight. It felt as if the fog in front of him had dispersed a little.
He brought the map to his nose and took a sniff. The elegant fragrance on it soothed his emotions. Then he carefully folded the map and put it back into his bosom.
...
As Xiao Jingcheng had said, Zhao Hu soon received a message from his subordinate that the soldiers had come to inquire after learning about the fire in the gambling house last night.
Thinking that Xiao Jingcheng was really perceptive, Zhao Hu didn't dare to delay. He got up and went out to greet them.
However, he didn't expect that when he went out, he saw a noble-looking, handsome, and gentle man.
While he was wondering about the identity of this person, the soldier in armor said, "You're Zhao Hu? This is His Highness, the Prince of Xuan. His Highness learned that there was a fire in your gambling house last night, so he came here specially to check."
The gambling house was located in a remote area. The fire broke out in the middle of the night. Since no other houses around were damaged and no one reported it to the authorities, Xiao Yixuan didn't learn about it until dawn.
The Liuxiang Tower had just been stolen during the day, and Xiao Yixuan was in a bad mood. When he learned that such a thing had happened in the town, he naturally wouldn't let it go. He immediately asked someone to lead the way and found Zhao Hu's place.
Learning that the man in front of him was actually the Prince of Xuan who had come from the capital, Zhao Hu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly bowed deeply and said, "Your humble subject, Zhao Hu, pays respects to Your Highness."
Xiao Yixuan wore a faint smile on his face. "Alright, no need for so many formalities. Get up and answer my questions."
Zhao Hu stood up nervously. Just as he didn't know what to do, the soldier beside Xiao Yixuan said, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and invite His Highness into the house!"
Ah? But General Tunri was in his mansion...
Zhao Hu felt a headache coming on. He forced a smile and said, "Your humble subject's house is simple. I'm afraid it will be an offense to Your Highness. How about we talk outside?"
"It doesn't matter. I don't care about such things," Xiao Yixuan said. "I'm here today to learn about the situation of the people."
Zhao Hu had no choice but to lead Xiao Yixuan in.